Camping

I was going to post this tomorrow for wordless Wednesday but changed my mind. *shrug* It's from this past weekend. We went camping in the mountains for our 'shakedown' trip. If we go when it is cold then we can test to see if things are working, what needs to be fixed, etc. We figured out that we really, really need a new mattress in the trailer. Other than that, some hot chocolate would have been nice. Who forgets hot chocolate? Me, apparently. The elk are only part of a very large herd. We were by a lake and the wildlife was quite abundant.

On the quilting front, I am still working slowly on Hugs and Kisses. Hopefully, after this coming weekend, the top will be pieced and the border applique started. I will have a rush of renewed enthusiasm since a friend and I are going to the Denver National Quilt Festival on Saturday. There always seems to be that burst of quilt mojo after a show.

I do not have a lot of spare time to work on quilts as Auntie is doing poorly and I'm running back and forth to Denver a lot. At a minimum, at least once a week. Handwork has been my lifeline. Even the Priority Quilt I recently finished was done totally by hand. I'll post more on that later.

Emergence

Remember the Double 4-patch barter quilt? Here's what I got in trade: a lovely solid bronze statue.

It's a beauty, isn't it?

Goodies in the Mail

The lovely Finn of Pieces from my Scrapbag, sent me these wonderful vintage 30/40s fabrics. When I opened the box they just sproiged out! She included some beautiful yardage too, see it there on the bottom? I found several MAM blocks and a Dresden plate -- I was in heaven. Thank you, Finn, I ♥ this gift!

No Time

No time, no time, no time, no time I got got got got no time No no no no no no no time I got got got got no time -- The Guess Who, 1969

I never realized how many songs there were with the title of "No Time" until Googling. Who would of thunk it? I really do not have a lot of time lately. I've been back and forth to Denver a lot. If you know anything about me, then you know it has to do with Auntie. I am so unfocused right now I can not concentrate enough to sew. Yes, you read that right, no time to sew, at least by machine. It has been several weeks since I've sat down in front of the sewing machine. Hand work, OTOH, is a good thing.

• I've finished up an alpaca shawl and I can not decide if I want to over dye or leave as is. It is spread out on the guest bed awaiting my decision.
  
• And a new pair of socks have been cast onto the needles for a very portable project.
  
• I've started another AAQI Priority Quilt using a piece of vintage textile that has been floating around the sewing studio for years. More on this later.
  
• The flowers have all been appliqued onto the sashing cornerstones of the Hugs & Kisses quilt. I have now started assembling the flowers for the border. The border will be sewn on and THEN appliqued rather than the other way around. See me thumb my nose at the quilt police?

I’ll post when I’m able.

Church Bells

I work downtown right next door to an historic church. Every day at precisely 12:00 noon the church rings it's bell and then plays a hymn. Originally, the bell was a bronze bell, but it has gone digital. I have gotten in the habit of eating my lunch when I hear the bell. Kind of like Pavlov's dog.

There's a Forest Fire Goin' On

If you know this part of Colorado, then you will know where Redstone Canyon is located and how rough the terrain is. This fire, known as the Crystal Fire, started on Friday at 25 acres and now is up to 4500 acres. My heart aches for the evacuated home owners, the fire fighters and the forest. We did have a cold front move through this afternoon that put about 1/2 inch of snow down, but this fire is only 5% contained.

Messenger Bag

Here is a quick post of a recent completion. This is the large Messenger Bag mentioned in the last post. It all started with a kit purchased at the last Denver Quilt Festival from Sew Batik. Since this was for me, I customized the pockets. Right behind the flap is a row of pockets that hold a pen or two, my calendar and either a paperback book or my e-reader. On the inside of the front is a single pocket for my flash/thumb drives. Yes, I have more than one. The inside back has made-to-fit pockets for a cell phone and my wallet. The rest of the bag carries whatever: laptop, knitting, lunch, water bottle. I love the way this rides on my hip.

The kit included the outer batik, the inner batik (lining), the backing for the quilting and the pattern. I had to add the batting to be able to quilt the outer batik to the white backing before cutting and then constructing the bag.

On another note, the sewing machine is safely ensconced in it's cabinet and machine stitching can now commence.